’And the widow, too,’ added Mr Nickleby, ’and all three in London, confound them; all three here, Newman.’

’Confound his impudence!’ muttered Squeers, rapping the stair-rail impatiently with his cane.

Isn’t it extraordinary to see a man’s confounded family conceit blinding him, even to his own interest?

’What a confounded distance!

’Confound these fellows!’ thought Nicholas; ’they have come to breakfast, I suppose.

’Confound it!’ reasoned the lord, ’you were thick enough with her that day, anyhow.

’Confound his impudence!’ said Nicholas, firing immediately.

’I mustn’t be cracking jokes though, for I’ve got a part of twelve lengths here, which I must be up in tomorrow night, and I haven’t had time to look at it yet; I’m a confounded quick study, that’s one comfort.’

Why did you never give those confounded papers the lie?

’If you seek to recall any particular dashing man to my recollection by such a trait as that,’ said Ralph, shrugging his shoulders, ’I shall confound him with nine-tenths of the dashing men I have ever known.’

CHAPTER 34 Wherein Mr Ralph Nickleby is visited by Persons with whom the Reader has been already made acquainted ’What a demnition long time you have kept me ringing at this confounded old cracked tea-kettle of a bell, every tinkle of which is enough to throw a strong man into blue convulsions, upon my life and soul, oh demmit,’—said Mr Mantalini to Newman Noggs, scraping his boots, as he spoke, on Ralph Nickleby’s scraper.